If you are focused on healthy eating in order to lose pregnancy weight, you may have already started reading the labels on your food more closely.
Looking at the ingredients list and the sugar content of everyday foods from the supermarket can be helpful as it can give you a guideline for healthy eating.
For everyday foods, aim for 5g or less of sugar per 100g. Any foods or drinks made with fruit or dairy will naturally be higher than this, in which case 10g to 15g per 100g of sugar would be fine – so long as the sugar is coming from fruit or dairy rather than added sugars.
As well as the nutritional panel, it’s important to read the ingredients list too. If the list contains sugar as one of the main ingredients (they are written in order from largest amount to smallest) it is best avoided if possible.
You can also get our FREE guide to sugar here
Great News! Our April 28 Day Challenge is going to be The Sugar Detox Challenge and the MEGA membership discount on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is NOW ON.
The SUGAR DETOX Challenge is great if you are struggling to cut out added sugars, or just want to reduce sugar in general – and especially if you need to lose tummy fat
The 28 Day Sugar Detox Challenge isn’t about being extreme, it’s about arming you with the facts about sugar so you can make the right decisions and make healthy eating part of your everyday life.
Get a FREE Sugar Detox recipe sampler by clicking here to see for yourself some of the yummy food you can have while on the Sugar Detox challenge
Or you can join the Challenge directly here
Today we look at 10 places that sugar can be hiding in everyday foods.
- Tomato sauce (25% sugar): no wonder kids love this stuff. There is almost 1 teaspoon of sugar in every tablespoon of sauce. Try to enjoy your food without it if possible, or make your own simple tomato sauce by cooking a chopped garlic clove in a teaspoon of oil before adding a tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 5 -10 minutes until thick.
- BBQ sauce (45% sugar): it’s hard to believe but a bottle of BBQ sauce is close to half sugar. Sure you might think you’re only using a little bit, but over the course of the day all of the sugar can really start to add up. Try adding freshly chopped tomatoes with a sprinkling of smoked paprika for a BBQ style seasoning.
- Sweet chilli sauce (36% sugar): another everyday sauce, but this one has almost 2 teaspoons of sugar in every single tablespoon of sauce. Try flavouring your food with freshly chopped chilli instead, or add some chilli powder.
- Pasta sauce (7% sugar): there are so many variations, brands and flavours of pasta sauce, so we chose to look at a popular Coles Red Wine & Basil pasta sauce. This contains almost 10 teaspoons of sugar per jar. Try making your own simple pasta sauce in bulk and then freeze in portions.
- Meal base sachets (19% sugar): again with hundreds of flavour bases to choose from we have just looked at a popular MasterFoods recipe base pouch for Teriyaki Chicken. This single pouch has more than 8 teaspoons of sugar in it. Instead of using these sugary mixtures, make your own stir fry from scratch using real ingredients. We love this Honey, Lemon and Ginger Stir Fry from our 28 Day Challenge.
- Taco seasoning (33% sugar): the single 35g sachet of Mission brand taco seasoning is close to 1/3 sugar. You can make your own simple taco blend using spices such as cumin, cayenne and chilli powder. Try this tasty recipe for a Fish Taco with Avocado and Lime.
- Slow cooker recipe base sachets: for this example we looked at the McCormick slow cooker recipe base sachet for making Portuguese Chicken. The sachet is 40% sugar. There’s really no need to use the commercial sachets when you can make simple slow cooked meals such as this Beef with Sweet Potato and Peanut Sauce.
- Simmer sauces (18% sugar): in the 575g jar of Kan Tong Sweet and Sour Simmer Sauce you’ll find 25 teaspoons of sugar. Instead of this sugary mixture, try making your own sweet and sour recipe by using fresh oranges and pineapple as well as some garlic, ginger and soy. This Orange and Pineapple Chicken is a hit with adults and kids.
- Diet yoghurts (14% sugar): for instance Ski D’Light Peach Melba yoghurt has close to 7 teaspoons of sugar in one 200g tub. Often the diet yoghurts have higher amounts of sugar than the full fat varieties. This is to add back in some of the flavour that is lost when the fat content is reduced. Instead, enjoy the creaminess of natural or Greek yoghurt and then flavour it with real fruit such as strawberries, chopped mango or passionfruit.
- Tea and coffee flavour sachets: a sachet of Lipton Chai Latte prepared with water has 4 tsp sugar in it. Why not try to find a herbal tea that you really enjoy, or make your own Healthy Hot Chocolate. You can also enjoy your Healthy Mummy Smoothies warm if you feel like something sweet on a cool day.
If you’d like to find out more about getting off the sugar or junk food rollercoaster, get your FREE Sugar Detox recipe sampler by clicking here
Or you can join the Challenge directly here
Results from mums on the 28 Day Challenge
Mums lose an average of 4-6kg* (8-13 pounds) on our 28 Day Challenge and below are some of the amazing results from mums JUST LIKE YOU who are already using the 28 Day Challenge and losing tummy fat – make the change and join them today too!
You can see lots of results and you can join here too
Erin Loses a MASSIVE 44.7kgs* on our 28 Day Challenges
Erin says: “I love the 28 day challenge! It takes all the guess work of “what do i have for dinner” and fumbling around the fridge looking for ingredients before deciding on something “easy” (and usually not healthy!) The best thing is, after doing my weekly shop once the shopping list comes out I have everything I need to make something HEALTHY AND EASY!”
DON’T delay!
Join today and become healthier and fitter this Winter. Join 1000’s of other mums on the same journey and be supported every step of the way.
You won’t regret it!
